Dreams and Disasters
by JamieKeshini
Summary: Jamie is best friends with Percy, when she is attacked by a monster. She's swept into the world of gods and Titans, and something devastates her, affecting her future. When she's given a quest, and she thinks that she might not come back from it. Percy/OC Based off of a dream that I had while listening to Owl City. Takes place after Labyrinth but before Olympian may be slight AU.
1. Cave In

**HI GUYSSSS This story has been dedicated to my best friend here on fanfiction, Candyland0530. She's just the most awesome writer, and she's just awesome period. I can't describe it. You seriously need to go read her stuff. She's got Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Harry Potter, Twilight, and Hunger Games fanfics that are just amazing. Go check her out. It's amazing!**

**Ok so this is based off a dream I had a while back. It takes place after Battle of the Labrinth but before The Last Olympian. I am simply writing what happened in the dream, with a few alterations and additions for the sake of continuity. My brain's pretty messed up sometimes when it comes to timelines and stuff like that. So if anything seems a bit off, or a little too AU, please let me know. I would love to either explain it better, or fix it!**

**Ok, "Vanilla Twilight" Belongs to Owl City, or Adam Young, if you prefer. If I use any more songs I'll try to remember to give credit, but as an initial disclaimer, they belong to their respective owners! I'm probably going to name each chapter after an Owl City song that I think fits. Why? I love Owl City, and this dream was conceived when I was sleeping listening to Mr. Young singing. haha**

**I'm not sure how quickly I will update this, I have just started my Senior year of High School and am now extremely busy. It may be a while...**

**I don't own Percy Jackson (don't I wish I did) I'm simply borrowing him and his world!**

**Gods I write a lot in my author's notes...sorry X**D

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CHAPTER ONE. "Cave In"

Hi. My Name is Jamie. Yea, I know. Kinda normal, and not very exciting for an opening, is it? Well I can guarantee you that I didn't think my life would be this hectic. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I'm a senior at my school, though I just turned sixteen last month. Take enough A.P. classes and you can do anything. But anyway, my mom, Linda Robertson, works nights at the local hospital. She wasn't married to my dad, and she doesn't even really know who my dad was. All she would say is that he had a beautiful voice, and that light followed him wherever he went. I just pushed that all off, she probably imagined all that. I mean, how can light follow a dude around? Impossible.

I walked up to my school, happy that this was the last day of school for me. Ever. Mom was happy that she wouldn't have to pay tuition any longer, I was just happy that I didn't have to sit through math class anymore. Numbers and I don't exactly get along. There are times when words don't either. They simply swim off the page and make me want to chuck my textbook across the room. But when I was writing songs, I couldn't write them down fast enough.

I was humming one of my favorite self-composed songs, "Vanilla Twilight" when I saw my best friend on the face of this earth. Percy Jackson. I was going to miss seeing him every day. I remembered his first day here. There was something about him that caused everyone else to shun him and stay away, but it drew me to him. Turns out he's hilarious, and a great friend. It was kinda endearing to watch him grow from a dorky teen to the handsome fifteen-almost-sixteen year old I now saw. But you didn't hear me say that.

I walked up to Percy, who was at his locker. He greeted me with the customary hug and ear flick, which I returned with a smile.

I suppose I should explain the ear flick. When we had first met, he sat in front of me in history class, and I had to flick his ear to keep him awake. He didn't wait to long to retaliate in kind. At first it was just to get on each other's nerves. Now it reminded us of the days before everyone at school thought we were dating, the time before teenage drama decided to slap us in the face.

"Morning, Jamie." Percy said, rubbing his ear, while I rubbed mine.

"Good morning, Percy." I said, smiling.

"You ready for your last day with this underling?" He joked, walking me to my class.

"OH shut up!" I said, "You're making this harder for me! Don't remind me!" I playfully punched his shoulder, and he pretended to be hurt.

"See you at lunch, dweeb?" He laughed when we reached my classroom door.

"At lunch, loser. And don't be late!" I snickered, going into the classroom.

At lunch, I got my last tray full of 'slops' as Percy and I called it, and sat at our usual spot to wait for him. Knowing him he'd be late again. I played with the grey mass that was the 'mystery meat', wondering when they would stop calling it that. Seriously, it didn't help the imagination any!

Someone sat down across from me, and I looked up with a smile, expecting Percy. Instead, I was met with the burly senior that had been following me around school for the past week. I internally groaned as my genuine smile disappeared, replaced by my fake one. I asked, not so politely, what he wanted.

"Nothing much..." he said, cracking his knuckles. I tensed. I wasn't scared, but I could feel a fight coming on. I really didn't need this the last day of school.

I got up with my tray, dumping it in the trash, and walked to the entrance where Percy would be coming from. I opened the door, turning left to try and find his classroom and ask what was taking him so long. If he had gotten in trouble again...

There were a few students heading to the lunchroom, but their numbers dwindled. I was getting lost already and I hadn't even left sight of the cafeteria doors yet.

Burly, as I had decided to call him, came out of the cafeteria, looking around. And strangely, sniffing, like a dog. He looked in my direction, and came up to me. Little too close for comfort.

"I didn't finish." he almost growled, "I just want to kill you. Nothing much. I promise, you'll barely feel it, and I'll eat you right afterwards!"

I felt like screaming, but there was no one around to help me. So I ran, and screamed.

I glanced back, and he was following me. But he didn't look like a person anymore. Behind me ran a monster. He ran so aggressively, he was yanking lockers off the wall as he ran, papers scattering everywhere. He looked like an ogre or something, only intensely more scary and lethal looking.

I was too busy looking behind me to see what I was running towards, and as a result I ran right into someone. Percy, in fact. I expected him to yell and run like I had, but instead, he pushed me behind him and pulled a pen out of his pocket.

I was about to scream at him for being insane. After all, who pulls out a ballpoint pen to fight a monstrous thing like that? But he uncapped it, and somehow it turned into this three foot long bronze colored sword. I just sat there with my mouth wide open as Percy ran up to the monster, who looked scared now.

The fight wasn't very long, but that didn't mean that it wasn't destructive. The hallway was completely destroyed, and the few students that were in the hall were screaming at the top of their lungs. Not that I blamed them.

Burly disappeared into a pile of yellow dust, and I just sighed. I was insane. Mom would just be thrilled about this.

Percy turned to me, asking in a panicked tone, "What did you just see?"

"I just saw you freaking turn a frikkin pen into a fraking sword and friggin destroy that thing into a flipping pile of dust!" I said all in one breath, effectively silencing me for a moment to catch my breath.

He nodded. "Good. Come with me, we can't stay here." He said, capping his sword-pen-thing and taking my hand. We ran out of the school, and I yelled at him again.

"Good?! How is this good? What the crap is going on around here?"

I noticed a gash on Percy's arm I hadn't seen before, red blood trickling down his arm.

"Oh my gosh!" I said, taking his arm, pulling him to a stop, and pointing it out to him. "Look at this!"

He looked. "Well there's nothing I can do about it right now." he said. "When we get to my mom's house I'll eat some ambrosia and I'll be fine."

"Ambrosia?!" I asked, then thought better of it, and continued, "This needs stitches! It's going to get infected, and God strike me down if I'm about to let my best friend-"

I was shocked into silence, as I watched Percy's once bleeding wound mesh itself together, healing into a pink scar, then flawless skin again. My mouth hung open, and Percy flexed his arm, testing it out.

"Strange.. there's no water around.." he said, confusing me further. There seemed to be no end to this weird day. Hopefully this was just a dream. I was about to ask Percy what he was talking about, and what the crap on a cracker was going on, when he started staring above my head.

"I think I know who your father is." he whispered.

"What the heck?! How do you know that!?" I almost shouted, "What would make you even say that?"

"Listen, I know there's a lot going on that you don't understand, and a lot of questions that you want answered." Percy said, taking my hand. "But you'll have to trust me. The police will be after both of us after what happened at school." he mumbled something about mist not covering up enough, then added, "I'll explain everything I can on the way. Do you trust me?"

I nodded, and we started running again. "On the way where?"

"My summer camp." he said. "We'll stop by my apartment real quick to pick up a few things we need, then we'll go."

I didn't know what on earth a summer camp could possibly have to do with all the whacko stuff that had happened today, but I didn't want to ask right that second. Percy obviously knew what was going on, or at least had an explanation, and I didn't. I had to trust him...

When we had reached the apartment, no one was home. Percy ran into his room, grabbing two empty sackpacks from a drawer, and filling them with first aid stuff, some weird squares, a jar of unknown liquid, and a few strange golden coins in each. He handed me one, an put the other on himself. He took one more gold coin, and wrote a note to stick on the fridge.

It read: "Mom, hi, it's Percy. There was an incident at school. Jamie needs to come to CHB with me. Like now. Tell Mrs. Robertson what's going on, I'm sure she'll understand. Love you, Percy."

"Let's go." he said, sticking the note on the freezer door, and opening the apartment door.

We walked around the edge of his apartment building into an alley. Why? I hadn't the foggiest. He threw the coin up in the air, and letting it drop into the shadow of the alley. It literally dropped into the shadow, and disappeared, like it had been eaten up. My head was starting to hurt from all this mystery.

Out of the ground, a taxicab rose up. Not a normal one either. Sure, it was shaped like one, but the color was all wrong. It was a smokey grey, and it didn't seem solid. It looked like it was made of smoke.

Percy opened the door. "Not my first choice either, but it's the fastest way to camp." he said, motioning for me to get in first.

I got in slowly, looking for a seat belt. I couldn't find one. There were three old ladies in the front seat, who seemed to be arguing over.. an eye?

Percy got in. "Camp Half Blood, please." he said, "And please try not to terrorize my friend like you did me the first time."

"Can't promise that!" the old lady in the passenger seat cackled.

"No, not in our contracts!" the one in the driver's seat added.

This was creeping me out.

"Now can you tell me what's going on?" I asked in a whisper-shout, still leery of the ladies in the front.

We started moving, and I really wished that we had seat belts. There was no way these old coots got their licence from New York DMV. They weren't even staying on the road. I decided to not pay attention to anything outside the cab. I had a feeling I'd get carsick if I did.

"Ok." Percy said, turning to look at me. "You remember in history class, about all the Greek gods and stuff? Well they're real. And they still control the weather and the seasons and stuff like that. And they all still have kids with the mortals down here on earth. Those kids are called demigods, or Half-bloods. I'm a son of Poseidon. So I can like, control water and stuff like that. My friend Annabeth that I tell you about? She's a daughter of Athena, so she's really wise and stuff. And my friend Grover? He's a satyr."

I nodded, trying to take in everything that was being explained to me. I was beginning to see why Percy's reports didn't always get the best grade. He had a certain way with words.

"And not only are all the gods real, their parents, the Titans, are real too. There's a war that's going to happen when a kid of the big three's," He paused to add, "That is, Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades." I nodded for him to go on.

"Anyway, when a kid of their's reaches sixteen, there's going to be a war between the Titans and the gods. Kronos, king of the Titans, is trying to escape from Tartarus, the deepest pit of the underworld. He's succeeded in that, he's now living in the body of a demigod named Luke. Kronos has all the monsters from the myths on his side, like the one that attacked you in school today."

"So, all of this exists, why doesn't anyone else know about it?" I asked.

"Well, there's this magical thing called the mist. It prevents mortals from seeing what really happens when stuff like the school incident happens. It twists their reality, and they often end up seeing something that just gets you into trouble." He said, sighing at the end, like it had happened to him a lot.

"But then why did I see what was going on?"

"That's where my statement about your father comes in. I know it was really random, but there is a good reason I said that. You're a demigod, Jamie. When your godly parent claims you, there's usually a little symbol above your head that tells others who your parent is. It appeared above your head after you healed my arm."

"Then who's my father?" I said warily, still not sure of what to make of all this Greek god stuff.

"Apollo, god of music, healing, and archery." he said, "And a bunch of other stuff I know I'm forgetting."

"That kinda makes sense I guess." I mumbled. I always had loved music, and had thought about becoming a nurse. "But why didn't my mom tell me all of this, if it's all true?"

"Well that's the thing. If you don't know you're a demigod, monsters can't sense you as easily." he answered, "Something about knowing who you are makes you a bigger target on their radar, I guess. They can smell us. It's kinda creepy. Your mom was probably protecting you from yourself, I guess."

I sat there, in shock. My whole life, was a lie. Well, kind of. And there was no way I could go back to the way it was. Not without monsters constantly trying to kill me, anyway.

"So what now?" I whispered, frightened.

"We go to Camp Half Blood." Percy answered, "It's safe there, no monsters can get in. You'll get to meet a whole lot of other kids like you, and some of your half-siblings too."

"So all half-bloods are related?" I asked, my heart falling for some reason.

"Well, on the god's side, it doesn't matter. I mean, if you and another person have the same godly parent, you're siblings, but if the gods that are you and your friend's parents are related, it doesn't matter. Its kinda hard to explain." he said. "Well, like you and me. If we were mortals, I'd be your cousin, but since our dads are gods, we're not. That's the best I can do right now.."

"No, it's ok, I think I understand." I said, my heart no longer sinking. This was strange.

I dared to look out the window, and regretted it immediately. We were flying through the forest so quickly I could barely make out the trees. Literally, through the forest. We passed through the trees without being harmed, but I still scooted closer to Percy. He seemed to understand, squeezing my hand reassuringly.

"Now that the girl knows her history.." one of the old ladies said, "She should know her future."

"I don't know about that.." Percy said, "When you did that to me I got confused, then when I found out what it meant I almost got killed!"

"Girl's future may not be like yours." the lady in the middle croaked.

"Yes, but it may also be worse!"

"Shut it! You'll make them leave without a tip!"

"Like I ever get to see the tips we get anyway! You're always stealing them!"

"I am not!"

"Ladies!" I said firmly, still uneasy but tired of their squabbling, "What is it that you have to tell me?"

"One that you hold close, will die. And their death approaches swiftly."

All three of them said together.

"We really should start charging for that." the one in the middle grumbled.

"BRAKE!" the passenger shouted, and if Percy hadn't held onto me, I would have flown straight through the windshield. Percy and I got out, the cab disappearing into the ground again. I shuddered. That was most definitely the scariest cab ride I'd ever taken.

"What the heck does that mean?" I said, "I mean, 'One that you hold close, will die, their death approaches swiftly' what kind of fortune is that?"

"It was clearer than mine, but I have to say it wasn't a good one." Percy said. "After we've checked in with Chiron, I'll IM my mom."

"Instant message?" I asked as we climbed a hill.

"Iris message. I'll show you later." he answered, cresting the hill.

At the top of the hill was a large pine tree, a golden sheep's fleece hanging over a branch. I took a startled step back when I saw something in the tree watching me.

We walked down the other side of the hill, heading towards a little house. The porch wrapped all the way around the house, and I could faintly smell strawberries. Percy knocked on the door, and I was met with something that majorly startled me.

A white horse, or more accurately, a white-coated centaur, answered the door.

"Hey, Chiron." Percy said. "This is my friend Jamie. Turns out, she's a child of Apollo. She got claimed after a mess at our school with a monster."

"Hello, Jamie." Chiron said, smiling. "You must have a lot of questions."

"Well, actually, Percy's answered most of them, for now." I said, unsure of what to think about this guy, or how to act around him.

"Well then, I'm sure Percy can show you to your cabin, and give you a tour around until it's time for dinner." Chiron said, "It was nice to meet you, Jamie."

"Yea, same to you." I said, shaking the hand he extended to me.

Percy and I walked away from the door and around to the other side of the house. There, I saw a row of cabins nestled in a little clearing, a lake, what appeared to be a volcano, and many other things that looked dangerous but fun.

Percy led me around, showing me the training areas, the rock climb, and the Pegasus stables. This place was getting more awesome every second.

"This is your cabin. You have quite a few siblings that you'll be living with, and they're all really friendly." Percy said, leading me past the Apollo cabin. It seemed inviting enough, much more friendly than the Ares cabin.

"What about you?" I asked. "Do you have any siblings here?"

"No. Well, I have one, but he's not here right now. He's working with my dad." Percy said, "His name is Tyson, and he's a cyclops. But he's the biggest softie ever when you get to know him."

I smiled. His cabin smelled like the sea, and the inside was so clean, I knew Percy hadn't been there in a while.

"Hey, I still have to IM my mom. Come on, let's go." He said, pulling me to the lake.

He asked for one of the golden drachmas in my pack, and I handed it to him. The water suddenly had a small jet coming out of it, creating a thin mist. A rainbow shone, and Percy tossed the coin into the rainbow. It disappeared.

"Sally Jackson, please." he said, and the rainbow shuddered, and then it was like I was watching television. Percy's mom stood in her kitchen, but something wasn't right. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she was sniffling.

"Mom?" Percy said, noticing his mother's condition.

"Oh, Percy." She said, "Is Jamie there? I have some bad news.."

My stomach dropped through my shoes. No, no this isn't what those old creeps meant.

"Jamie, honey." Sally said, "Dear, your mother.. she's, she's been killed. By an empousi"

I felt my strong walls crumble, and tears streamed down my face. I was breaking.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie. I love you."

I couldn't hear much of the conversation after that, but Percy finished speaking to his mom, and then walked over to me. I was now on my knees, crying. He sat down next to me, and wrapped me up in his arms, telling me that I would be ok.

I was clutching his shirt, and crying into his shoulder. Why did this have to happen to me? Why couldn't I just be a normal kid? Why did my mother have to be taken from me?

"Hey," Percy whispered to me, "Believe it or not, I know how this feels."

"How?" I said, my voice cracking through my tears.

He told me a shortened version of his quest with the master bolt. I was slightly comforted in knowing that he had felt my pain, but also saddened that my mother had actually been killed, not just taken. My mother couldn't come back. I couldn't save her.

One that I held close, had died.

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**Well? what do you think? Like I said, this is based off of a dream that I had a while ago, and it may seem a bit AU at times. I'm unsure of how long this fic will be when finished, and I know this chapter was really long. I'm sorry. I write a lot sometimes.**


	2. Vanilla Twilight

**Again, Thanks for reading, and reviewing. It really means a lot to me!**

**Vanilla Twilight by Owl City belongs to the amazing Adam Young. Seriously, if you've never heard his music before, go youtube Owl City! His songs are amazing, and I don't just mean Fireflies. All of them. I'm just a bit obsessed lol.**

**This chapter was brought to you thanks to a very sleep-deprived night. Good lord I'm exhausted haha.**

**Much love to Candyland0530! She's so awesome.**

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CHAPTER TWO "Vanilla Twilight"

After a while, I was done crying, and Percy explained that it was time to go to dinner. He got up, helping me up, and lead me to the tables. I glanced over at his shirt, and cringed. It was all stretched out and covered in tear stains. I'd ruined it. Greaaat.

Percy introduced me to my fellow children of Apollo, and explained that I would sit with them. I nodded and sat, as he walked over to his table, sitting alone. I guess you always had to sit with your siblings, and not necessarily with your friends. I was wondering what the heck we were going to eat, when my plate suddenly procured my favorite food. My mom's enchilada casserole with corn chips. My once empty cup filled itself with fruit punch Gatorade. I felt a tug at my heart when I thought of my mom, but I knew it was something that I was going to have to deal with now.

The girl sitting next to me scooted closer. "Hi, I'm Allison Davison! Most everyone calles me Alley though. What's your name?"

"Jamie." I said rather sheepishly.

Everyone rose from their tables, and picked up their plates. I followed suit, deciding that Alley would have to explain this part.

"We're giving our offering to the gods." she said, like she could read my mind. "We take a portion of our food and toss it into the fire, usually with a quick prayer to our parent. It seems weird, I know, but you'll get used to it."

I simply nodded, following her as we waited in line for the fire. When I was there, I scraped off a part of my casserole, saying a mental prayer that my sanity would hold up strong, and that I wouldn't have to do anything too life threatening for now. Call me crazy, but I could have sworn that I heard someone say "I'm sorry, dear. It's too late for that". I shuddered, getting this feeling that I would be doing something rather dangerous before the week was over.

After we had finished the offering, I stayed with Alley, getting to know her a little more as the night rolled on. She had discovered her parentage last year, and was still relatively new to this whole thing. But any experience was more than what I had, and I found her insights helpful. She lived in the far-off state of Arizona, and because she was homeschooled, she was at camp a lot more than most kids. She was a year younger than I, and her dark brown hair had grey streaks in it. Her eyes were the most brilliant electric blue, and I found myself envious.

We talked more during the bonfire, and she gave me a few more tips as we headed back to our cabin.

"Now, camp has these creatures called 'harpies' that keep watch over things and clean the cabins." she said, "Don't get caught outside the cabins at night by one of them. You'll regret it. I've heard people say that they eat you."

I gave her a leerie look, but found myself unsurprised. With everything that had happened to me today, what was a bunch of harpies to add to it all?

"You can sleep in this bunk." she said, pointing to an empty bed. "I'm two over. The one sleeping on your right is Devin, and on your left, is Korie. They're pretty cool, but they're not here yet. They should be here in the next couple of days though."

I nodded, yawning. It would be lights out soon, and I suddenly realized that I really didn't have any clothes. Alley seemed to anticipate this, and handed me a pair of cotton shorts and a tee shirt for pj's.

"I'll have some clothes ready for you tomorrow morning." she said, "But right now, I'm tired!"

She flung herself down on the bed, and I sat on hers so we could talk.

"So what are your powers?" she asked, "Do you know?"

I lowered my voice as others walked into the cabin. I didn't know why, I just did. "Well, I really only know of one, I guess. I healed a gash on Percy Jackson's arm before I came here. Other than that, I don't really know."

She nodded. "That's pretty cool! I can't do that, but I have this kinda thing where I can sometimes sense that someone's going to say something before they say it." she paused. "But it isn't always the most reliable. I've gotten into trouble more than once because of it."

I simply nodded. Her strange knowledge of what I needed to know didn't seem so strange now. That was kinda cool.

I changed in the small curtained section of the room, and lay on top of the sheets on my bed. The lights went out not too much longer, but I couldn't sleep. I was exhausted, but sleep evaded me like I was the plague.

I got up, deciding that I would walk out to the lake. The harpies could deal with it, I was going to sit on the bank.

I snuck quietly out of my cabin, taking care not to step on anything of a twiggish sort as I made my way out to the lake. There was a small dock, and I sat at the edge, letting my feet dangle into the water. The cool water felt good, and I sighed, leaning back on my elbows and looking up at the stars. What a ridiculously crazy, stupid day. I hummed to myself as I remembered all that had happened, the random notes forming themselves into one of the songs I had written. Silent tears rolled down my face as I remembered my mother.

_The stars lean down to kiss you_

_ And I lie awake and miss you_

_ Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere_

_ Cause I'll doze off safe and soundly_

_ But I'll miss your arms around me_

_ I'd send a postcard to you dear, _

_Cause I wish you were here._

I sang the song softly and quietly to myself, wondering what I was going to do now. My mother was gone, and I was totally inexperienced here. I liked Alley, and I could tell that she was a good friend, but I couldn't help but feel lonely. I wasn't sure where to turn, but I hoped that everything would start looking better soon.

_As many times as I blink,_  
_I'll think of you,_  
_Tonight..._  
_I'll think of you, Tonight..._

Then, without warning, another voice started singing quietly with me. I was startled at first, but then I recognized the voice, and remained still.

_When violet eyes get brighter_

_ And heavy wings grow lighter_

_ I'll taste the sky and feel alive again _

_And I'll forget the world that I knew_

_ But I swear I won't forget you _

_Oh if my voice could reach back through the past_

_ I'd whisper in your ear.._.

Percy sat down next to me, and I leaned on his shoulder. He rested his head on mine, and whispered the last line with me.

_Oh darling I wish you were here..._

I sighed, remembering the time that I had first shown him that song. Back before this whole mess.

Percy looked down at me. "How are you doing?"

"Alright." I murmured. "There's nothing that I can do now."

"I'm so sorry." he said, his voice husky like he had been crying like me. "I really am."

"It's alright." I said, wiping my tears. "I have a new life now. And I get to learn the proper techniques for kicking butt." I giggled. It felt good to laugh.

He laughed quietly, "So what did you think of your first half-day at camp?"

"It's definitely.. different." I said, "I mean, I don't there being lava at my other camp's rock wall."

He nodded. "I thought the same thing. It's really awesome when you get into the groove of things."

"Yea. That's what Alley said too." I said, "So far I really only have four siblings here, but I know of at least two that just aren't here yet."

"That's cool. I suppose you already know that I don't have any here." he laughed, poking my side.

"Yea. I think I remember something about that." I snickered.

I heard something moving in the forest nearby. I turned to look, but before I could make anything out, Percy had his arms around me and we were falling into the lake. I was going to kick him for getting my only clothes wet, but I realized that I wasn't wet at all. I opened my eyes, and found that we were sitting in a bubble of air under the water's surface. I looked over at Percy, and was met with a smug expression, followed by a laugh.

"You should have seen your face." he snickered. "But seriously, I had to. There was a harpie coming up to the lake's shore."

"Suuure." I said, knowing he was telling the truth, but teasing him for it nonetheless. "And you didn't just want to show off. Not even a little."

"I swear that's not why!" he said, trying really hard not to laugh.

I just flicked his ear, turning to run. Then I remembered that I couldn't. Instead of freedom from retaliation, I was met with him mercilessly tickling me.

After he was done torturing me, he said, "I think the harpie's gone now. We should probably go to bed."

"Yea," I said, "Heaven knows that I don't want to get tickled to death on my first day here. I can see it now, "Demigod survives monster attack, only to be killed by tickling hours later" way to ruin a reputation I don't even have yet."

When we surfaced, I gave Percy a quick hug before running back to my cabin. I hoped nobody had seen any of that. I didn't need the teasing about Percy and I here too.

I was out like a light the second I hit the sheets.

I was awoken the next morning by a pillow in my face, curtosy of Alley. I groggily went about the morning routine, changing into a fresh pair of jean shorts and an orange Camp Half Blood tee shirt. I pulled my long dark brown hair up into a ponytail, and followed Alley out for breakfast. I snickered when I stole a glance at Percy. He looked like a wreck, hair all disheveled, and still in his pajama bottoms. Then I remembered last night, and realized that I was probably why he looked like that, and felt a little guilty.

Alley followed my line of sight, and snickered too. "Looks like someone wanted to sleep in." she laughed. "I remember him looking like that last year too."

I sighed mentally. So I probably wasn't the reason, or at least not the only one.

After breakfast, Apollo's cabin was the first to have the archery range. Here went nothing. I mean, if the gods really exist, why couldn't I shoot a bow?

I hoped they had medics waiting.

Devin had arrived some time late last night, and he helped me get fitted for a bow. Turns out they were more complicated than a bent piece of wood with a string tied to it. You had different lengths, different weights, or poundages in the draw, and you had different kinds of arrows too. Not just blunt target arrows and hunting arrows. Legit exploding ones and other awesome things like that.

I was set in front of the closest target, I think it was about thirty feet away. I pulled back like Alley and Devin had showed me, remembering not to think too much about it. I let my arrow fly, and it sunk itself one ring from the center. This wasn't going so bad after all. By the end of the practice, I was shooting at the furthest targets, but I still wasn't getting bull's eyes on them every single time. It didn't help that they moved on their own...

After a short break, I was taught the basics of sword training. Here, I met Annabeth for the first time. Her blond hair shone like gold in the sunlight, and her grey eyes smiled at me.

"You must be Jamie. I'm Annabeth." She said, shaking my hand, "Percy's told me a lot about you. It's cool to have you here."

I nodded, smiling. "Nice to meet you, Annabeth. Percy's told me a lot about you, though I'm afraid he probably left out all the exciting adventure parts."

She laughed. "Probably. Seaweed Brain isn't exactly the best with words at times."

I nodded, laughing with her. When we were finished talking, she helped me and the other girls with our technique, and Percy helped the boys. It was fun, but extremely challenging at the same time. I just knew that I was going to be sore like nobody's business tomorrow.

After sword fighting, we moved on to other exercises, with short breaks in between. At lunch, I quickly ate my food, and I swear I drank four gallons out of my magic cup. I didn't think I'd worked this hard in my life.

No matter how much everyone else told me, I would never have guessed that this was only the beginning.

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**O.o what's going to happen now?**

**Well that's for me to know and you to find out! :P The action should pick up some more in the next chapter. I just now realized how long this dream was...**  
**But anyway, reviews, my lovlies! I think they're awesome!**


	3. Tital Wave

**Soo Welcome back, faithful readers! I feel like I should update more often, I really do, but between not having access to a computer all the time, and my senior year begun. I'm really overwhelmed right now. My apologies!**

**If you're also watching my star trek fic, I've hit some writer's block. many apologies! :(**

**Without further ado, please enjoy**

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"Tital Wave"

The next day, I woke, ready to take on camp's challenges. I was determined to not let tragedy become my whole story. I was going to make something of myself if it was the last thing I did.

I advanced in leaps and bounds in the archery department, most likely thanks to my father. I still found myself a little peeved with the man that left my mother on her own, but I could see a little more of why it had happened now.

Swordsmanship wasn't my strong point. There was no way I was challenging anyone with any experience whatsoever. I liked my bow and arrows just fine, thank you. I failed hopelessly when it came to fighting anyone close quarters. But hey, if I needed to I could swing a sword around aimlessly and see how that worked.

I had been there a week, when I had a dream. I was in a room shining gold, watching a large, burly god sitting on a throne that seemed to be made of weapons. I took one look at him, and knew that this had to be Ares, god of war. Another seemed to stand in the shadows, unnoticed by the god of war. Ares stood, leaving the room, and leaving the shadowed man alone.

The shadowed figure emerged, but seemed to remain in shadow. His whole figure seemed to emanate sadness and depression, his face contorted in grief. He glanced this way and that, before reaching into the throne, and procuring a large shield. He laughed slowly, muttered something about having a proper bargaining chip, and then vanished, tremors of despair flowing in the air as he left.

I woke in a cold sweat, tears streaming down my cheeks. I glanced around, a couple of my siblings were awake and getting ready for the day, but most were still asleep. I wiped my face, unsure of why I was crying, and got dressed. This was something that I had to address with Chiron. Maybe he would know what my dream was about.

I started walking towards the house, only to meet Chiron before I even left the training area. He greeted me with a warm smile, asking how I was doing.

"Not so hot." I said slowly, "I had this really wierd dream. I have no idea why either."

Chiron simply nodded, the smile now gone from his face. "It would then be best if you would come with me to the house, child. Tell me everything you remember about this dream you speak of."

As we walked to the house, I recounted my dream to him, making sure to stress the strange air of sadness, and the mysterious figure's final comment.

"It would appear that this is what happened to the shield of Ares." Chiron said thoughtfully, stroking his beard in contemplation. "And it would also appear that you are to go on a quest to resolve the matter. After all, we can not have the gods defending Olympus from Kronos with the god of war improperly shielded."

I froze. A quest already? I hadn't been here nearly long enough for this, surely. And yet I was.

"I will make the announcement after breakfast is over." he said, "And you will consult with the Oracle."

I nodded, paling slightly as I turned to go to breakfast. What the heck was the Oracle? That was something both Percy and Alley had forgotten to mention...

I waited for breakfast in silence, dread filling me. Alley gave me a few worried glances, but never said anything. As I tossed some of my pancakes into the fire, I prayed that I and anyone else who would be involved in the quest wouldn't be killed. Silence.

Percy mouthed to me from across the tables, "What's wrong?"

"You'll see soon." I mouthed back, and he nodded, concern still etched onto his face.

My dreaded moment came as Chiron announced a new quest to the entire camp.

"And Jamie Robertson will be leading this quest." he said, and my cabin smiled and clapped for me. Only Alley saw the fear in my eyes and squeezed my arm reassuringly.

"Hey, you got a quest!" she said quietly, as to not interrupt Chiron, "I still haven't even been on one, much less been chosen to lead one. This is exciting!"

"Yea," I mumbled, "exciting."

When breakfast had been finished, Chiron led me to the big house. A few followed, my cabin, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, and a couple miscellaneous campers that were curious enough. Chiron told me to walk up the stairs, and I would be given my prophesy from there. I gulped, taking a quick glance back at my friends before going into the house.

The stairs groaned and creaked as I climbed them, every little moan making me want to turn around and forget this whole thing. When I reached the attic, I saw boxes and boxes of stuff just lying around. A beautiful pink scarf sat on top of a box, sparkling a bit. I looked over to the corner, and nearly jumped out of my skin.

A mummy looking thing sat in a chair by a window, unmoving and silent. This was really creeping me out.

"Umm, hello?" I called, expecting someone to jump out and scare the crap out of me any second. "Is the Oracle here to give me a prophesy?"

Suddenly, the mummy's head turned, looking straight at me. The eyes glowed ominously, and its mouth opened, and a scratchy, old sounding voice came out, though the mouth never moved.

_"Four demigods journey_

_ To find the Lord of Sorrows _

_Challenged to a tourney_

_ Leader armed only with arrows_

_ A hero is led astray _

_By one no longer there _

_The scarred one will portray _

_The answer to the captor's prayer"_

And with that, the mummy returned to its' previous position, all light and movement ceasing. I carefully edged back to the stairs, and when I was there, almost ran back outside.

"Did you receive a prophesy?" Chiron asked, his face very serious.

"Yes, if a weird poem from a mummy is a prophesy." I said.

I told those gathered the prophesy that had been spoken, and Chron stroked his beard in thought.

"Well parts of this are quite clear, and others are not." Chiron said. "What is clear is that you, being partial to a bow and arrows, are to lead the quest. You will bring three half-bloods with you, whom I will let you choose yourself. The Lord of Sorrows refers to Penthus, the god of despair and sorrow. I'm afraid the rest of the prophesy is shrouded in mystery to my eyes."

I simply nodded. My mind began running over what the whole "captor's prayer" thing could possibly mean. Was one of us going to set someone free? Who was the "scarred one"? And possibly the most dangerous, who was going to be led astray? And why?

"Who will you take with you?" Chiron asked.

"I will take..." I said, pausing to think, "I will take Percy Jackson, Alley Davison, and Annabeth Chase."

"Good choice." Chiron said. "You all shall prepare yourselves, and be ready to depart tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Chiron." I said, and the crowd began to disperse, leaving only my new travelling companions.

"Well," I said as we all began to walk back to the cabins, "Where is it that you suppose we start looking for Penthus?"

"Well, it would make sense if he was hiding in a place that would make him his most powerful." Annabeth said. "And people being depressed would make him more powerful."

"So we're supposed to find somewhere where everyone is sad?" Percy said.

"Let's keep away from Disneyland, then." Alley retorted, earning a laugh from the rest of us.

"No, seriously," Annabeth said, "Where is the most saddening place in the country?"

I thought for a moment. "Could it possibly be Seattle? I mean, as sad as it is to say this, it does have the highest depression rate in the country, and suicide as well."

"That's perfect!" Annabeth said, "For what we're looking for, I mean. Where better for Penthus to be his most powerful?"

"Sounds like we're going to Washington." Alley said, smiling.

"There's just one problem." Percy said quietly.

"What?" I asked, all of us stopping.

"It's not a good idea for me to fly, with Zeus really not liking me and all." Percy said, looking down.

"Well, we'll have to find a way to get there." I said, "One that's safe. Or as safe as we can get, with this kind of mission."

Annabeth nodded. "Looks like we're going on a road trip."

We all spent the rest of our morning packing the things we would need. Alley sharpened her_ Xiphos_ sword, and packed her light quiver. I put as many arrows as I could in my quiver, and made sure that I had all kinds of arrow tips as well. You never know when an exploding arrow could save your life.

We ate lunch in silence, not paying anyone else's conversation any mind. It seemed everyone was as nervous and excited as I was.

We were given the day off to rest up and ready ourselves for our quest. When I had packed everything I needed, I went for a walk around camp. The lake was quiet, as no canoeing would be going on today. The surrounding trees shaded a good portion of the lake, and I felt like going for a swim. Kicking off my converse and my socks, I dove off of the dock and into the cool blue water.

It felt good under the water, and I surfaced to breathe. I let my hair down from it's ponytail, enjoying the feeling of the water moving through it.

I dove down again, swimming as deep as I could get. I was startled to see what looked like girls at the bottom, but they weren't humans. They must have been niads. They smiled up at me and waved, and I waved back, amazed by their beautiful eyes.

I surfaced for breath, and was met with the biggest wave I had ever seen in a lake. I coughed and spluttered, wiping my eyes and getting my hair out of my face.

"Hello, Percy." I said, pretending to be annoyed.

"Awe, how'd you know it was me?" he whined, smiling as he swam over to me.

"Oh, I don't know Seaweed Brain.." Annabeth's voice called out as she dove in, "Maybe the tital wave you sent when you jumped in? Seriously, you could have been more inconspicuous."

"That's not my style." He said defiantly, sticking his tongue out at her, "At least, not when I don't have to be."

I snickered, splashing him. I don't know why I bothered, he wasn't getting wet. Stupid water powers.

I heard another splash as Alley jumped in, and swam over to the rest of us. We spent a couple hours just playing around in the water, pointlessly trying to get Percy wet, and other ridiculous games. It was an hour before dinner when Alley got out, followed shortly by Annabeth. I got myself out of the water, but just lay on the dock with my legs hanging over the edge. I wasn't quite ready to change yet.

I heard Percy swimming over, and I groaned. "Please don't drag me in again Percy, I'm trying to dry off."

"But what if you don't get wet?" he asked, pulling himself up onto the dock next to me.

"I don't want to get in again, Percy." I said firmly, but smiling.

"Fine then." he pouted, "Don't be any fun."

"I'm perfectly fun, thank yo-PERCY!" I shouted as he shook his wet, shaggy hair out all over me. "You got it wet just to do that, didn't you?!"

"Maybe." he said, trying to keep a poker face, but failing miserably.

"Shut up kelp head, go away so I can tan." I mumbled.

"Kelp head? Did Annabeth tell you that one?" he said, then seemed to realize something. "And if you wanted me to leave you, why didn't you just say it? We both know you don't tan. You burn." He laughed.

"Oh shut up dweeb." I said, getting up, and trying to push him into the lake. I failed. Somehow I ended up in the lake.

"Percy!" I shouted, and he just laughed at me from the dock.

"See you at dinner, loser?" he said smiling.

"Not if I kill you before then!" I said, swimming back to the dock and starting to get out.

"Yikes!" he said, running to the cabins, with me grabbing my shoes before following in hot pursuit, "I was just being funny!"

He escaped into his cabin before I could reach him, and I just laughed. "Have fun in your little fortress of solitude!"

"So you admit that I'm superman?" He said, looking at me through an open window.

"Oh my gods, Percy. I swear if we weren't going on this quest together I would kill you myself." I shouted at him, chucking one of my shoes at the wall next to the window.

"You missed." he snickered, pointing at his nose.

"Don't tempt me to try again, fish face." I said, taking my shoe back. "I won't miss a second time."

"Fish face?" he said, confused.

I simply stuck my tongue out at him and walked into my cabin to change into dry clothes.

I emerged only just in time for dinner, not wanting Percy to surprise attack me with a bucket of water or something stupid like that. I felt a little more comfortable talking to my cabin mates now, and we even had an inside joke already. I would be missing this place when I left.

I offered a quick prayer to Apollo to protect me and my friends on our long journey. The longer it was, the more dangerous it was bound to be, and I didn't want my friends getting hurt because of me. That night at the campfire, my cabin was next to Percy's and Annabeth's next to his, so we were all able to sit an a row around the fire. The flames danced, casting eerie shadows on everyone's faces. I was more than confidant in my friends, and all their skills, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen during this trip. And that I wouldn't be the only one affected by it.

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** Ok you have no idea how long it took me to come up with that prophesy. It was stupid how long it took to have it not only make sense, but rhyme as well. I don't think Rick Riordan gets enough credit for doing that all the time... Because it's really hard! I was never really any good at poetry though.. that might be my problem haha.**

**Much thanks if you're reading this and reviewing for me! Please, let me know what you think! Reviews are the life source of this author! :D**


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